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Hammond Indiana

Subject	Message	Replies
Christmas LIonel Displays Date: 11-01-2009 By: Jim Plummer	The highlight of Christmas for me was always the train layout at Minas's and Goldblatts. Does anyone remember these? They must have done by the employees. My father would always go down to see what was left over the day after Christmas that he could buy for half price. My first train set was a year old when I got it! I wonder where my parents hid it for a year! I always thought that Minas's had the best toy department and my brother and I would always drag my mother through to see what was new that we might want for Christmas.	8

Replies

Date	Member	Message
11-01-2009 ( Reply#: 3883 )	Tom J	Hello, Jim Plummer! Welcome to Sheptalk! How about a little introduction, so we can get to know a little bit more about you? Glad you have joined us. Tom
11-01-2009 ( Reply#: 3885 )	Paddy	quote: Originally posted by Jim Plummer The highlight of Christmas for me was always the train layout at Minas's and Goldblatts. Going to see the Goldblatt display was an annual trek for me. My parents could not afford such a lavish gift as a Lionel train set. But I had a unique job for a young kid and was able to save up enough to buy my own. At age eight, I would follow "Gus, the vegetable peddler" through our neighborhood as he sold produce from his horse-drawn wagon. When a housewife made a large purchase, he would let me carry the sacks to their door. My reward at the end of the day was a quarter, and I managed to collect enough of them to buy a basic Lionel train set. The set came with a steam engine, box car, gondola and caboose. The steam engine actually puffed smoke. You would add a few drops of a mysterious liquid to the stack, and a heating element produced smoke puffs as the train roared around the track. I still remember my Dad stretched out on the floor beside me, as mesmerized as I by the spectacle.
11-03-2009 ( Reply#: 3888 )	Jim Plummer	Thank you! I graduated OLPH in 1958 and Morton High in 1962. I spent a lot of time in the local movie theaters. I had two paper routes with all of the Chicago papers. If you paid your bill in full you received a pass for the Parthenon and I got two every week!!!! I first discovered Shep in the pages of Playboy when I noticed a short story that memtioned Warren G. Harding school where I did kindergarden. By the way, anybody remember the teacher--Miss Jane Fowler? In the Summer of 1963, I was the guy who sat in front of the Swimming Pool next to Mulberry st. in Hammond selling ice cream from a moterized golf cart! [Street Treat] The company folded after one year. I have been living in SoCal since 1974 and I don't miss winter!!! quote: Originally posted by Tom J Hello, Jim Plummer! Welcome to Sheptalk! How about a little introduction, so we can get to know a little bit more about you? Glad you have joined us. Tom
11-03-2009 ( Reply#: 3889 )	Jim Plummer	What year was this? You must have saved for a long time. Lionel was expensive! quote: Originally posted by Paddy quote: Originally posted by Jim Plummer The highlight of Christmas for me was always the train layout at Minas's and Goldblatts. Going to see the Goldblatt display was an annual trek for me. My parents could not afford such a lavish gift as a Lionel train set. But I had a unique job for a young kid and was able to save up enough to buy my own. At age eight, I would follow "Gus, the vegetable peddler" through our neighborhood as he sold produce from his horse-drawn wagon. When a housewife made a large purchase, he would let me carry the sacks to their door. My reward at the end of the day was a quarter, and I managed to collect enough of them to buy a basic Lionel train set. The set came with a steam engine, box car, gondola and caboose. The steam engine actually puffed smoke. You would add a few drops of a mysterious liquid to the stack, and a heating element produced smoke puffs as the train roared around the track. I still remember my Dad stretched out on the floor beside me, as mesmerized as I by the spectacle.
11-09-2009 ( Reply#: 3911 )	MrRazz	Still got my Lionel in the attic...really need to get it down for my grandsons. I remember putting in little white tablets in the steam engine to get it to puff smoke too...wonder what that stuff was, probably toxic now. When my daughters were young, my dad did a demonstration of the old Lionel for them, and we had a diesel engine flame up...that was exciting except for the carpet burning. quote: Originally posted by Paddy quote: Originally posted by Jim Plummer The highlight of Christmas for me was always the train layout at Minas's and Goldblatts. Going to see the Goldblatt display was an annual trek for me. My parents could not afford such a lavish gift as a Lionel train set. But I had a unique job for a young kid and was able to save up enough to buy my own. At age eight, I would follow "Gus, the vegetable peddler" through our neighborhood as he sold produce from his horse-drawn wagon. When a housewife made a large purchase, he would let me carry the sacks to their door. My reward at the end of the day was a quarter, and I managed to collect enough of them to buy a basic Lionel train set. The set came with a steam engine, box car, gondola and caboose. The steam engine actually puffed smoke. You would add a few drops of a mysterious liquid to the stack, and a heating element produced smoke puffs as the train roared around the track. I still remember my Dad stretched out on the floor beside me, as mesmerized as I by the spectacle.
12-07-2009 ( Reply#: 4113 )	Jay	Funny, but I don't recal the train display in Minas and Goldblatts. But I do remember the huge display at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago. I also have vague memories of a railroad club that met in one of the old switching towers (I think) and had a layout that was opened occassionally to the public. My dad supported my interest in trains. He purchased my first trains and built me a small layout on wheels that I could slide under my bed when not in use. Every year, I would attend organized train races in downtown Gary that were sponsored by a railroad. I won some of my trains and accessories at these races. I still have everything even though I have not used them in decades.
12-07-2009 ( Reply#: 4136 )	duane	Just this past August, we made a family trip down to Chi-Town and went to the Museum of Science and Industry. They had a special Harry Potter exhibit (with the clothing and props from the films and several rooms set up, including the great hall). It was a hit with my teenager - and with me too. But my favorite (other than the coal mine) was the big train set. They have changed it rather significantly. Before it was a huge rectangle with lots of trains. Now, while it is still large, it basically has a Chicago, and a trip to the west to Seattle, so they have the skylines of those two cities and some mountains in between. Still cool....but not as cool.
12-07-2009 ( Reply#: 4140 )	BobK	My Dad built a train setup in the basement when we lived on Calumet Ave and left it there when we moved to Highland St. He built another in the basement on Highland St and left it there when we moved to Torrence Ave on the North side. I kept the trains for many years after but never built another setup. Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]